Much has been made of Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama, and he's been painted as a saintly man of honor who was led astray by mean ol' republicans who used him, then discarded him like yesterday's trash .. when in fact, Powell drank the kool-aid like everybody else, then sat back and watched billions and billions of dollars wasted on lies, and rivers of blood flow past his feet. He knew it was all a lie.

Now, in his attempts to wash the blood off his hands, he endorses Obama .. what impact is it having ...

Eight out of 10 Voters Aware of Powell Endorsement -- But only 12% of this group say it makes them more likely to vote for Obama

Bottom Line

These data suggest that the high-profile Powell endorsement of Obama has had fairly minimal direct impact. A high percentage of voters are aware of the endorsement, but only 12% of those aware and 8% of the total population of registered voters say it makes them more likely to vote for Obama. The endorsement produced a small backlash against Obama, all from current McCain voters, many of whom were not going to vote for Obama anyway.

There has been little major change in the structure of the presidential race coincident with Sunday's endorsement: Obama was ahead before the endorsement and remains ahead in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking results. The significant majority of both candidates' current supporters say the endorsement did not affect their vote choice. So it's difficult to prove the endorsement has had a major impact on the status of the two candidates in the presidential race -- which has, in recent weeks, of course, been moving in Obama's favor anyway.

Given that most of the "more likely to vote for Obama" sentiment comes from current Obama supporters themselves, one effect of Powell's gesture may have been to shore up support among the Democratic base -- and thus to increase Democrats' motivation and potentially their turnout on Election Day. It is also possible that the endorsement had a more subtle effect on voters' perceptions of Obama -- one that has not yet translated into a change in vote choice, but could be a building block that would have this effect before the voter casts his or her ballot.Eight out of 10 Voters Aware of Powell Endorsement

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